One of the most striking aspects of the continent is its abundance of freshwater lakes. Which lakes are the Largest Lakes in Africa in terms of surface area? The following is a list of Africa’s greatest lakes.
There is a body of water in a basin. For the most part, its surroundings are made up of land and rivers that either supply or drain it. They provide a stunning and welcome habitat for a vast diversity of animal and plant species throughout the continent.
Top 10 Largest Lakes In Africa
1. Victoria Lake (59,947 square kilometers)
The land area surrounding Lake Victoria, 59,947 square kilometers, makes it a massive body of water. Lake Victoria tops the list of the largest Lakes In Africa. Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda are the countries in the basin of Burundi.
Coverage is 169,588 square kilometers with a limit of 359 and 337 kilometers, respectively, in terms of both breadth and length. Despite its vastness, it is shallow, with a maximum depth of 81 feet and an average depth of 41 meters.
2. Lake Tanganyika (32,900 square kilometers)
Tanganyika Lake is Africa’s second-largest lake. Tanganyika is Africa’s deepest reservoir, but many people are unaware of this fact. “Great Lake Spreading Like a Basin” is Tanganyika’s translation in English. Lake Baikal, in Russia, is the deepest lake in the world.
One of Africa’s Great Lakes, Lake Tanganyika is shared by Tanzania, Burundi, the DRC, and Zambia. The water catchment region has a total surface area of 32,900 square kilometers and a catchment area of 231,000 square kilometers.
Tanganyika’s water systems benefit greatly from the affluents of the Malagarasi and Ruzizi rivers.
3. Lake Malawi (29,600 square kilometers)
The largest lake in Malawi is Lake Malawi. This is one of the region’s most magnificent reservoirs and a must-see while visiting. Lake Nyasa, also known as Lago Niassa, is Africa’s third-largest lake and the ninth-largest in the world.
292m deep on average is the average depth of the aquatic body. According to folklore, this body of water contains the most freshwater fish on the planet.
Crocodiles and hippopotamuses are among the creatures that call the water’s edge home.
4. Volta Lake (8,502 square kilometers)
Lake Volta, a man-made reservoir and source of power in Ghana, runs parallel to the Prime Meridian. It is the continent’s second-largest man-made reservoir by volume, covering an area of 8,502 square kilometers.
As a result, the Black and White Volta rivers are kept under control by the dam. Overall, it measures 18.8 feet deep and has a 4,800-kilometer shoreline. Within Ghana’s borders, the Akosombo Dam aids in cooling.
5. Turkana lake (6,405 square kilometers)
In northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, it may be part of the Turkana Lake basin. It’s the world’s largest and most stable desert water body. Storage capacity: This facility is the largest on the continent. Saline water should not be consumed by humans or animals.
There are 6,405 km of land in the reservoir, of which 2.44 km is salinity. The great majority of Ethiopia’s water comes from the Omo River, which rises in Ethiopia. There are crocodiles in the reservoir’s tributaries of course.
6. Lake Kariba (5,580 square kilometers)
Congo’s Kariba Lake is located in the country’s DRC. The world’s largest artificial water source comes from Lake Kariba. 1,300 kilometers upstream from the Indian Ocean lies Zimbabwe-Zambia.
It covers an area of 5,580 square kilometers and is 29 meters deep. Kapenta, for example, is just one of the many fish assortments available to help maintain a commercial fishery. Flora from outer space was brought to Earth utilizing non-water resources throughout development, and the resulting soil was very fertile.
As a result, crocodiles and hippos are likely to be found in the area around the supply.
7. Albert Lake (5,300 square kilometers)
Albert Lake is one of Africa’s largest reservoirs. Albert Nyanza Lake was previously known as Mobutu Sese Seko Lake. 5,300 square kilometers and 25 meters of depth cover the whole supply. That dish has a lot of liquid in it.
It is Africa’s sixth-largest and the twenty-seventh-largest in terms of volume. While the Blue Mountains rise in the north, the majority of Albert’s area is covered by marshes in the south. As part of the Nile structure, it will attract fish to the area where it lands.
Repository inputs include Victoria Nile and Semliki River.
8. Nasser Lake (5,250 square kilometers)
As the Aswan High Dam rises above Egypt’s Nasser Lake, a remarkable collection of artifacts awaits discovery. The dam spans the Nile as one of the largest in the world. The ancient Egyptian ruins that lie beneath the lake’s surface have made Lake Nasser a popular tourist destination in Africa.
The most common area to discover a repository bowl is in south-central Egypt. It occasionally ventures into Sudanese territory, but this is rare. There are 5250 square kilometers of land and 25.2 meters of depth.
As a popular fish species, the Nile Perch contributes to the high demand for supplies.
9. Kivu Lake (2,700 square kilometer)
Lake Kivu belongs to the Republic of Congo. Lake Kivu is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Rwanda and Congo, which is governed by an ethnic majority. The river’s surface area is 2,700 square kilometers, and its breadth is 240 meters making it one of the largest Lakes In Africa.
An enormous amount of marine life has thrived due to the volcanic environment. Goma’s central business district is situated along a river. At the time of its outbreak in 2002, 400,000 people were in need and 147 people were killed.
Because of this, significant amounts of cadmium oxide and methane, which are harmful to humans when consumed, may have been produced by the volcanic activity in Kivu. Man-made lakes and mountains have become popular exploration targets despite their inherent risk.
10. Lake Edward (2,325 square kilometers)
Lake Edward is the continent’s tenth-largest body of freshwater. The Congo River is Africa’s tiniest river, measuring just over 100 kilometers (60 miles) in length. The largest moon is 2,325 square kilometers in area. The moon’s bowl is approximately 17 meters deep.
Around the magma source, there are numerous liquid magma-proof fountains that can be seen. A great variety of fish and aquatic species can be found in this body of water. Oreochromisniloticus, Oreochromisleucostictus, and many others are among them.